Nahjul Balagha Part 1, The Sermons
Sermon 86: Allah knows hidden secrets...
About getting ready for the next world and following Allah's commandments
ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام)
وفيها بيان صفات الحق جلّ جلاله ثمّ عظة الناس بالتقوى والمشورة
Allah knows hidden secrets and is aware of inner feelings. He encompasses everything. He has control over everything and power over everything. Everyone of you should do whatever he has to do during his days of life before the approach of death, in his leisure before his occupation, and during the breathing of his breath before it is overtaken by suffocation, should provide for himself and his journey and should collect provision from his place of halt for his place of stay.
قَدْ عَلِمَ السَّرائِرَ، وَخَبَرَ الضَّمائِرَ، لَهُ الاْحَاطَةُ بِكُلِّ شَيْء، وَالْغَلَبَةُ لِكُلِّ شَيْء، وَالْقُوَّةُ عَلى كُلِّ شَيْء. فَلْيَعْمَلِ الْعَامِلُ مِنْكُمْ فِي أَيَّامِ مَهَلِهِ، قَبْلَ إِرْهَاقِ أَجَلِهِ، وَفِي فَرَاغِهِ قَبْلَ أَوَانِ شُغُلِهِ، وَفِي مُتَنَفَّسِهِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يُؤْخَذَ بِكَظَمِهِ، وَلْـيُمَهِّدْ لِنَفْسِهِ وَقَدَمِهِ، وَلْيَتَزَوَّدْ مِنْ دَارِ ظَعْنِهِ لِدَارِ إِقَامَتِهِ.
So remember Allah, O people, about what He has asked you in His Book to take care of, and about His rights that He has entrusted to you. Verily, Allah has not created you in vain nor left you unbridled nor left you alone in ignorance and gloom. He has defined what you should leave behind. taught you your acts, ordained your death, sent down to you. "the Book (Qur'an) explaining everything" (Qur'an, 16:89) and made His Prophet live among you for a long time till He completed for him and for you the message sent through the Qur'an namely the religion liked by Him, and clarified through him the acts liked and disliked by Him, His prohibitions and His commands.
فَاللهَ اللهَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، فِيَما اسْتَحْفَظَكُمْ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ، وَاسْتَوْدَعَكُمْ مِنْ حُقُوقِهِ، فَإِنَّ اللهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَمْ يَخْلُقْكُمْ عَبَثاً، وَلَمْ يَتْرُكْكُمْ سُدىً، وَلَمْ يَدَعْكُمْ فِي جَهَالَة وَلاَ عَمىً، قَدْ سَمَّى آثَارَكُمْ، وَعَلِمَ أعْمَالَكُمْ، وَكَتَبَ آجَالَكُمْ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْكُمُ (الْكِتَابَ تِبْيَاناً)، وَعَمَّرَ فِيكُمْ نَبِيَّهُ أَزْمَاناً، حَتَّى أَكْمَلَ لَهُ وَلَكُمْ ـ فِيَما أنْزَلَ مِنْ كِتَابِهِ ـ دِينَهُ الَّذِي رَضِيَ لِنفْسِهِ، وَأَنْهَى إِلَيْكُمْ ـ عَلَى لِسَانِهِ ـ مَحَابَّهُ مِنَ الاْعْمَالِ وَمَكَارِهَهُ، وَنَوَاهِيَهُ وَأَوَامِرَهُ،
He placed before you His arguments and exhausted his excuses upon you. He put forth to you His promises and warned you of severe retribution. You should therefore make full atonement during your remaining days and let yourselves practice endurance in these days. These days are fewer as against the many days during which you have shown obliviousness and heedlessness towards admonition. Do not allow time to yourselves because it will put you on the path of wrong-doers and do not be easy-going because this will push you towards sinfulness.
فَأَلقَى إِلَيْكُمُ الْمِعْذِرَةَ، وَاتَّخَذَ عَلَيْكُمُ الْحُجَّةَ، وَقَدَّمَ إِلَيْكُمْ بِالْوَعِيدِ، وَأَنْذَرَكُمْ بَيْنَ يَدَيْ عَذَاب شَديد.
فَاسْتَدْرِكُوا بَقِيَّةَ أَيَّامِكُمْ، وَاصْبِرُوا لَهَا أَنْفُسَكُمْ، فَإِنَّهَا قَلِيلٌ فِي كَثِيرِ الاْيَّامِ الَّتِى تَكُونُ مِنْكُم فِيهَا الْغَفْلَةُ وَالتَّشَاغُلُ عَنِ الْمَوْعِظَةِ; وَلاَ تُرَخِّصُوا لاِنْفُسِكُمْ، فَتَذْهَبَ بِكُمُ الرُّخَصُ مَذَاهِبَ الْظَّلَمَةِ، وَلاَ تُدَاهِنُوا فَيَهْجُمَ بِكُمُ الاْدْهَانُ عَلَى الْمَعْصِيَةِ.
O creatures of Allah! The best adviser for himself is he who is the most obedient to Allah, and the most deceiving for himself is he who is the most disobedient to Allah. Deceived is he who deceived his own self. Enviable is he whose Faith is safe. Fortunate is he who takes lesson from others, while unfortunate is he who fell victim to his desires. You should know that even the smallest hypocrisy is like believing in more than one God, and keeping company of people who follow their desires is the key to obliviousness from religion, and is the seat of Satan.
عِبَادَ اللهِ، إِنَّ أَنْصَحَ النَّاسِ لِنَفْسِهِ أَطْوَعُهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ، وَإِنَّ أَغَشَّهُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ أَعْصَاهُمْ لِرَبِّهِ; وَالْمَغْبُونُ مَنْ غَبَنَ نَفْسَهُ، وَالْمَغْبُوطُ مَنْ سَلِمِ لَهُ دِينُهُ، وَالسَّعِيدُ مَنْ وُعِظَ بِغَيْرِهِ، وَالشَّقِيُّ مَنِ انْخَدَعَ لِهَوَاهُ وَغُرُورِهِ. وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ يَسِيرَ الرِّيَإِ شِرْكٌ، وَمُجَالَسَةَ أَهْلِ الْهَوَى مَنْسَاةٌ لِلاْيمَانِ، وَمَحْضَرَةٌ لِلشَّيْطَانِ.
Be on your guard against falsehood because it is contrary to Faith. A truthful person is on the height of salvation and dignity, while the liar is on the edge of ignominy and degradation. Do not be jealous because jealousy eats away Faith just as fire eats away dried wood. Do not bear malice because, it is a scraper (of virtues). And know that desires make wit forgetful and make memory oblivious. You should falsify desire because it is a deception, and he who has desires is in deceit.
جَانِبُوا الْكَذِبَ فَإِنَّهُ مُجَانِبٌ لِلاْيمَانِ، الصَّادِقُ عَلَى شَفَا مَنْجَاة وَكَرَامَة، وَالْكَاذِبُ عَلَى شَرَفِ مَهْوَاة وَمَهَانَة.
لاَ تَحَاسَدُوا، فَإِنَّ الْحَسَدَ يَأْكُلُ الاْيمَانَ كَمَا تَأْكُلُ النَّارُ الْحَطَبَ، وَلاَ تَبَاغَضُوا فَإِنَّهَا الْحَالِقَةُ، وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّ الاْمَلَ يُسْهِي الْعَقْلَ، وَيُنْسِي الذِّكْرَ، فَأَكْذِبُوا الاْمَلَ فَإِنَّهُ غُرُورٌ، وَصَاحِبُهُ مَغْرُورٌ.
Alternative Sources for Sermon 86
(1) Al-Dinawari, Akhbar, 145;
(2) al-Harrani, Tuhaf, 100, 101;
(3) al-Barqi, al-Mahasin, 233-4;
(4) al-Mufid, al-Majalis, 120;
(5) al-Tabarsi, Mishkat, 156;
(6) al- 'Amidi, Ghurar.